This archive report was first published on 27 October 2019.
As a mother, I've come to realize that my children believe I have superpowers, knowing their every move even when I'm not in the same room. But I'm not alone in this - many of us have told our share of lies, from childhood to adulthood.
One such instance was when a colleague, frustrated with a writer's delayed submission, commented, 'She doesn't realise that I know she's lying, I mean, I was a writer too and have been there and done that.'
This statement resonated with me, as I recalled the ridiculous lies I told my editors when I was a writer. I once camped in a coffee shop, ignoring my boss's calls, and then presented the feature as if I had worked on it all morning.
But job-related lies are not the only ones we tell. We lie to our seatmates in matatus, telling them we're on our way to Naivasha when we're stuck in a jam on Jogoo Road. We lie to our friends, telling them we're broke when we're enjoying a plate of steaming chicken stew.
Thinking about it, we started lying more with the advent of cell phones. Before mobile phones, we lied less, since we had to be in the same room to tell fibs. With cell phones, those we owe money can reach us even in the toilet.
As the Editor of 'Society' and Magazines at the 'Daily Nation', I've seen my fair share of lies. But I've also come to realize that we all tell lies, and it's not just limited to job-related situations.
